Welcome to the first installment of The Vampire of the Month! I call the voices in (and outside of!) our heads that suck the good stuff outta us our Vampire Voices, and they come in many incarnations. That’s why I thought it’d be great to out these Vampires, exposing what they look like along with their Likes and Dislikes in order to better defeat ‘em! This month we’re meeting the Superhero Vampire, who visits all of us people pleasers/non-delegators/workaholics and tells us we can do it all!

Here are 3 Ways to Defeat The Superhero Vampire:

When you’re asked to take part in something, think “NO!” in your head and take notice of how you feel. Relieved? Disappointed? Angry? If saying “NO!” gives you a positive emotion, then commit to saying “no” (in a softer way that’s you’re more comfortable with, i.e. “Thanks so much for asking, but I just can’t commit to that right now”) to whatever was asked of you. No need to add something to your plate that doesn’t light you up in some way.

Spend a couple of days writing down what you spend your time on (yes, everything you do from the time you wake up ’til the time you go to bed), and star/highlight/circle the tasks where time flew/you felt helpful/were fulfilling. At the end of the experiment (don’t you love being a scientist?!), see what’s not starred/highlighted/circled and write it on a separate sheet of paper. How can you do less of those things? What can you delegate or trade to get those tasks off your plate? Conversely, you can brainstorm how you can do more of the fulfilling stuff.

Carve out time to take care of yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, creatively…you name it. Just 20 minutes a day (it’s just 20 minutes! anyone can find that kinda time!) strumming your ukulele, relaxing in a bubble bath, doing some yoga stretches or calling a long-lost friend sends the Superhero Vampire up, up, and away!

Do you have any other ideas on how to defeat the Superhero Vampire? I’d love to hear ‘em in the comments!

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Basically, what this means is that everything I write is my own property (duh), but you can use it on your blog or in your newsletter or as skywriting as long as you don't change nothin' & you add the following : "Michelle Ward, aka The When I Grow Up Coach, helps creative people devise the career they think they can't have - or discover it to begin with! A certified life coach by the International Coach Academy, a musical theater actress with her BFA from NYU/Tisch, and a Corporate America escapee, Michelle has served as an expert source and contributor for such outlets as Newsweek, Forbes, and Psychology Today, as well as leading workshops and seminars at SXSW 2011 and the sold-out Etsy Success Symposium. She could be found coachin', bloggin' & givin' away free stuff at whenigrowupcoach.com."